Three people died tragically, and dozens were injured last Friday afternoon when a flatbed pickup truck traveling the wrong way on Interstate 20 ran head-on into an Andrews ISD charter bus in Big Spring, Texas.
Andrews ISD Band was Headed to Football Game in Sweetwater
The November 19th accident occurred shortly after 4:00 p.m., as three Motor Coach Industries charter buses were transporting the Andrews ISD high school band to a football game in Sweetwater. The convoy was entering I-20 east from the feeder road near mile marker 179 when an F350 flatbed truck traveling west in the eastbound lanes collided head-on with the lead vehicle and struck the second before bursting into flames.
“One charter bus full of Andrews Band kids were on the feeder road getting off, and a pickup flatbed truck was coming the wrong way, he must’ve fell asleep or something, and he went head-on with the charter bus,” one witness told Yourbasin.com.
“A bunch of people were on the highway saving them and everything. It was just a real bad accident, and I’m praying for everyone.”
13 Andrews ISD Students Hospitalized, Including 2 with Incapacitating Injuries
The driver of the first bus, a 69-year-old man from Andrews, and the truck driver, a 59-year-old man from Midland, were killed at the scene. A 53-year-old Andrews man also died in the hospital after being airlifted.
Thirteen Andrews ISD students were hurt in the accident, including two flown to University Medical Center in Lubbock with incapacitating injuries. Ambulances transported 11 others to the Scenic Mountain Medical Center in Big Spring.
Texas Wrong-Way Crash Deaths Up 60%
So far, it’s not clear why the F-350 pickup was traveling the wrong way on I-20. But wrong-way drivers are not uncommon in Texas, which currently leads the nation in wrong-way driving deaths.
According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s latest data analysis, 2,008 deaths from wrong-way driving crashes occurred on divided highways in the United States between 2015 and 2018. That averages out to approximately 500 deaths a year and represents a 34% increase over the previous period covering 2010 to 2014.
Across Texas, the average number of wrong-way deaths rose from 60 per year between 2010-2014 to 77 per year from 2015 through 2018 — an increase of 29%.
The study also identified three major contributors to wrong-way crashes:
- Driver Impairment: Drivers with blood alcohol concentrations over the legal limit of 0.08 g/dl were significantly more likely to end up driving the wrong way on a divided highway.
- Older Age: Drivers over age 70 are more at risk of wrong-way driving than their younger counterparts, even though they spend less time on the road and drive fewer miles.
- Driving without a Passenger: Nearly 87% of wrong-way drivers were alone in their vehicles at the time of a crash, suggesting passengers often alert drivers when they begin to drift into the wrong lane and may even help them take the necessary corrective action.
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Our Undefeated Texas Bus Accident Lawyers are investigating the tragic Andrews ISD charter bus crash and will post an update if new information becomes available.
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